Advisory Board: Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Advisory Committee-IPM & Nature-Based Climate Solutions (NBS) Subcommittee
Subject: 4. DISCUSS land-management practices whose co-benefits are relevant to IPM and nature-based climate solutions (NbS) and RECOMMEND applicable areas of focus.
Presenter: Wade Finlinson
Contact: 925.490.3428
Information:
The bylaws of the Integrated Pest Management Advisory Committee (IPMAC) allow the formation of subcommittees to research and explore specific issues within the purview of the Committee. The first goal of the County IPM Policy is to "Minimize risks and maximize benefits to the general public, staff and the environment as a result of pest control activities conducted by County staff and contractors."
Referral History and Update:
IPMAC convened an ad hoc subcommittee to focus on the potential implementation of NBS on County properties in June 2025. During that meeting, various sites and NbS strategies were discussed.
Over the last several years, the County has adopted key guiding documents that help to illuminate potential pathways forward. Those include Healthy Lands, Healthy People: A Carbon Sequestration Feasibility Study (HLHP)1 and the 2024 update of the Contra Costa County Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP).2 Applicable excerpts from the CAAP and HLHP are attached. Another robust resource on this topic at the statewide scale includes California's NBS Climate Targets.3
Each document is vastly broader than land management practices on County property. However, elements of each Contra Costa-specific plan help clarify a starting point that is rooted in Board-approved priorities. Some initial considerations that may help generate the discussion include the following actions from CAAP and HLHP:
* NI-4 (CAAP): Sequester carbon on natural and working lands. Examples: compost application, biochar application, prescribed grazing, tree planting, maintenance of trees, wetland restoration.
* NI-2 (CAAP): Prote...
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